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ilikedumbknightsinlove · 3 years ago

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Fic: A Dead Man’s Unrest (part 2) Gwaine/Lancelot

Canon-divergent fic where Morgana doesn’t have Shade Lancelot kill himself at the end of 4x09, but instead has Agravaine aid in his escape so that he can be beside her when she later invades Camelot to further taunt them.

PG-13 overall so far, for violence, threat and death. Warnings may be added to and rating changed in future (planning? sorry don’t know her)

Gwaine/Lancelot, with background Arthur/Gwen. This chapter takes place still in 4x12.

[Part 1]

Excerpt:

“It could be,” Morgana said, evidentially pleased by Gwaine’s outburst. Murmurs with amused and mocking tones started rising up from the men around them. “If you still insist on being loyal to your dear Lancelot despite everything he’s done, why don’t you show it to us? Fight for his life.”

She pointed to the two soldiers who held Gwaine between them, swayed her finger for just a moment as she made her decision and then settled on the man to Gwaine’s left. The one who had the tighter grip on his arm. The soldier exhaled heavily through his nose and nodded. He let go of Gwaine, took a step to the side and drew his sword.

“If you win this fight, Lancelot will live and I’ll send you down some food,” Morgana said. “If you lose, Lancelot will go back to the world of the dead using the same sword you failed him with. He’ll end himself stood right before you.”

---

When Gwaine came round he was in one of Camelot’s dungeon cells with Gaius, his weapons and his chain mail gone. Not long after that Elyan was brought to them, unmoving and blood-soaked. His eyes were open but glazed and cold, staring straight ahead. They were the same empty eyes Lancelot had, and for a moment it made Gwaine fear that Elyan’s life had been taken and his body put under control as well. But soon Elyan’s eyes slid shut and his breathing steadied. Gaius bandaged the worst of his injuries with strips of cloth torn from the very thin bedding within their cell, but there was nothing else he could do.

A pair of heavy footsteps approached, a key clicked dully in its lock and the cell door creaked as it was opened. One of Morgana’s men stepped inside.

“You,” was all he said, reaching out to grab Gwaine’s sleeve and pull. Gwaine stepped forward with the motion and his arms were taken roughly (to make a point, Gwaine felt).

“Oi!” Percival shouted and pounded a fist against the bars of his cell just opposite. The noise echoed off the walls, clanging together with the sound of the door being shut and locked.

“I’ll be alright,” Gwaine managed to get out as he was marched quickly away, one soldier on each side of him. He didn’t put up any resistance as he was lead through hallways, which were dark and empty and so strangely unfamiliar, though he had walked them hundreds of times before. The invading army had taken down every piece of Pendragon insignia they could find and sealed the gates to cut the castle off from the town. When Gwaine was taken past some windows overlooking the courtyard he caught sight of a couple of fires burning. One looked like the flames were still consuming the remains of a large Pendragon flag.

The last time Gwaine had seen a Pendragon emblem burn was Lancelot’s memorial...

The throne room seemed wider, somehow, and taller. Far, far colder. Something in the air was different and it put Gwaine on edge. Candles were lit, throwing long flickering shadows upon the walls. The room was lined with Morgana’s men, all of them still indistinguishable to Gwaine. They all wore the same darkened armour, heavy black cloaks and a wrap around their head. Some were silent, some conversed quietly and hurriedly between themselves. All of them had their eyes on Gwaine.

At the head of the room were the only three people who didn’t conceal their identities. There was Morgana, sat looking pensive and hard at the knight as he was brought to a stop in the middle of the room. To her left stood a man Gwaine didn’t know, who was tall and broad with thinly trimmed facial hair and a large sword strapped proudly at his waist.

And to Morgana’s right was Lancelot. He had been ordered to kneel at her side. His eyes were like those of a statue, he was looking right at Gwaine but he didn’t appear to actually be seeing anything. There was no focus, no life to him.

There had always been a particular way Lancelot smiled at Gwaine. The upturn of his lips was often slight, but the smile was mostly in his eyes. They went softer, warmer somehow, and Gwaine would often fancy that he noticed the lighter shades amongst the dark brown of Lancelot’s eyes when he smiled. Gwaine could still remember when he first noticed. It had been when they’d gathered for a first training session to start getting into the routine of being a knight. Gwaine had made an off-hand comment about how he supposed he could at least stick around until Arthur remembered to start charging them rent, and he’d looked up to see Lancelot smile. Lancelot hadn’t laughed, but he was smiling as though he were and it was certainly in his eyes. Gwaine had thought about how much he wanted to see that smile more. Looking back, he often thought that was the moment he had fallen for Lancelot.

And now there was just nothing. No smile, no life, no colour to his eyes at all. Only darkness. Gwaine couldn’t even tell if that was Lancelot’s chest rising and falling or an illusion of the candlelight.

He looked like a corpse propped up. That awful thought twisted its way into Gwaine’s mind like a parasite. He felt the same painful rise in his chest as he had done during all those night spent wrecked with grief in the months following Lancelot’s death. That same urge to let the despair consume him threatened to grow but somehow he swallowed it down.

“Arthur is heading for Ealdor,” Morgana’s voice cut through the room. The sound of her soldiers muttering amongst themselves stopped and Gwaine felt the weight of their stares. There was a silence as Morgana watched him, smiling cruelly, leaning back into the Pendragon throne with a hand resting upon each arm.

“Thanks for the update,” Gwaine said, after what felt like a far too long silence. “You could have just sent down one of your men with the message. If you think they’d remember.” He cast a glance at one of the soldiers who still held onto his arm. The man glared at Gwaine and his mouth twitched in irritation. Gwaine felt the grip on him tighten, the man’s fingers digging purposefully into his arm.

“Passing on my thanks to Elyan will mean more coming from you,” Morgana replied and Gwaine clenched his jaw as anger cut through him. While his instinct was still to be reckless and let the adrenaline alone carry him, he resisted, weighing the odds to be incredibly out of his favour. There had been plenty of times where that might not have mattered. But those instances had never involved the lives of others he cared about.

“Though as I recall, Ealdor is at least a day’s ride,” Morgana went on. “And it turns out subduing and taking over a kingdom is remarkably quick and easy once you have the resources. So now that the first fun part is over and we await the second, we have some time that needs filling with a bit of entertainment.”

“I’m not really in the mood for telling jokes,” Gwaine said. “Though if you ask Sir Leon nicely enough he might do a poetry reading for you.”

“Oh, Agravaine told me you were the joker. Though that’s not the precise way he put it.”

Gwaine felt something cold sink into his stomach. He had never liked Lord Agravaine and did everything within his power to avoid him, though that was one of the few opinions he really kept to himself. But having his very off feelings about the man proven right still felt absolutely awful. Knowing how much Arthur had trusted and relied upon the man-

If Agravaine worked for Morgana, was that how Lancelot had escaped his cell back then?

Gwaine’s attention went from Morgana back to Lancelot as the question struck him, and it didn’t go without notice. Morgana shifted so that she could comfortably lean a little to her right and push her fingers through Lancelot’s hair.

Don’t. Don’t you touch him!

“They always go on about how the knights are some sort of brotherhood and deep bond,” Morgana said, idly stroking Lancelot’s head. “Though it’s interesting that you should still care for him so much, even after he betrayed you all.”

“He did nothing!” Gwaine spat out and for a moment he couldn’t see. White hot rage burned up in his chest, flashed before his eyes and then tinged the edge of his vision. He tried to move forward but the two soldiers pulled him back. “Why him? What could Lancelot have done to you to deserve this?”

“Him in particular?” Morgana looked down to Lancelot. She twirled one finger around his short curls and tugged, but Lancelot gave no response. “Nothing. But I remember when he first came here. He was so bright and noble and keen to serve. Adorable, really.” Morgana took a fistful of Lancelot’s hair this time and clenched her fingers. Again, Lancelot remained still. “He was the ideal man then and he is so even more now. He’s rather handsome, he’s quiet unless spoken to and what’s best is he will obey my every order without question.”

Morgana’s fist unclenched and she settled her hand again in Lancelot’s hair. She looked at Gwaine again. The candlelight reflected the gleam of vicious joy in her eyes and her smile was wider as she went on. “He’ll ruin Guinevere’s relationship with Arthur because I told him to. He’ll betray his friends because I commanded it. He’d even kill himself right here if I said it was what I wanted.”

Hot rage was suddenly replaced by cold hard dread. It swelled in Gwaine’s throat and for a moment he felt like his breath had been taken. His chest hitched painfully and something in his head buzzed as he instinctively reached for his sword but found his arms still restrained. But, he suddenly recalled with dread, he had no weapons anyway.

“No!” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Leave him! Is this what you brought me up for?”

Morgana clicked her fingers. The other soldier who had escorted Gwaine from the dungeons unsheathed his sword and handed it over. Gwaine took it and found himself fumbling a little with the grip. His hands had become covered in sweat but he hadn’t noticed until that moment.

“Has anybody told you what a vile cold serpent you are lately?” he said darkly through gritted teeth as he hurriedly passed the sword between his two hands so he could scrub his palms against the bottom of his shirt.

“You say the sweetest things,” Morgana said. She still had her hand in Lancelot’s hair, mindlessly stroking her fingers back and forth like somebody petting a dog. “Don’t feel you have to though. I will remind you that Elyan is laying unconscious in a cold dark prison cell all because of Lancelot. His sister is banished and his mind was tormented almost to breaking point. You could always choose to let Lancelot fall to avenge your actual living friend.”

“Stop touching him.” For a moment Gwaine considered turning his sword on Morgana instead, odds against him be damned.

The burly man stood at Morgana’s left side seemed to pick up on Gwaine’s thoughts. He stepped forward, drew himself up tall and flexed tattooed arms as he rested one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Alright then.

Gwaine straightened, rolled his shoulders back to try and limber himself up. He felt stiff and tired, but he would just have to put that from his mind. Finally he turned away from Lancelot to face his opponent.

“You want to get this over with?” he asked the soldier, getting a firm grip on his sword and lifting it just enough to give himself an idea of its weight. It was heaver than what he was used to, the balance didn’t quite agree with him. But he would just have to adjust.

The man snorted and raised his sword ready.

“You lot aren’t too talkative, are you?”

His opponent was large but moved quickly. He went for Gwaine while he spoke, arching his sword into the air and then bringing it down heavily. The blade would have landed right between Gwaine’s eyes had he not been able to bring his sword up in time to block it. But it was close, far too close. The weight of the blow nearly made his knees buckle from under him and Gwaine felt his feet slide almost dangerously out of place as he shuffled to adjust his stance.

Not even one night in the dungeons and it already felt like he was out of practice.

“What would any of us have to say to a Knight of Camelot that wouldn’t be put better by passing a blade through his throat?” the man finally spoke to him. His voice was low but carried through the tall room. The sound of laughs and taunts started to echo from the high walls. “As soon as your entertainment value runs out, you’ll be dead anyway.”

Gwaine managed to slide his right foot back enough to be able to push himself forward. There was the screech of blades before Gwaine dodged to the side and finally away from any immediate danger. He took a few paces back and then sunk into a more prepared stance, his weapon outstretched and ready.

“Oh I’ve plenty of that, if that’s all you’re after.”

The aim wasn’t to kill him, Gwaine realised, just defeat and humiliate. None of them would die unless it was specifically under Morgana’s orders. That meant his opponent wouldn’t be able to go all out as he might want to, but Gwaine didn’t have to grant any such courtesy in return.

“You going to put that sword through my throat like you want to or not? I don’t have all night.”

Gwaine saw his opponent’s nostril’s flare and his face deepen with a scowl. He had touched a nerve. Good.

The man went for him again but this time Gwaine felt far more prepared. There was now that familiar rush in his heart which had carried him through so many fights before. The noises around him seemed duller, further away, and all he knew was the man before him. His mind raced, searching for anything he could use to get that one step ahead he needed for a victory.

Gwaine met the attack and parried once, then again, thought he would for a third time, but the soldier swung his sword to the side and further downwards. The blade struck Gwaine in the leg, halfway up his thigh, and it stung.

Putting his weight onto his other leg, Gwaine went forward in attack. He struck fast, first attempting to go for just below the man’s stomach where his armour stopped, then from the side, then the other, then he raised his weapon and brought it down. Gwaine lost track of his own movements after that. With every passing second his leg hurt even more. His hair was falling into his eyes and there was no time to push it back or even think about trying to toss his head. No matter where Gwaine tried to strike, no matter how fast, the man met his attack and pushed against it.

After deflecting several strikes, his opponent parried and then barrelled into Gwaine, shoving against him hard with his shoulder. It caused Gwaine to start losing his balance. One hand came away from the grip of his sword and he felt his heart sink with dread as the weapon begun to slide from his grasp.

The adrenaline rushed so fast he thought he could hear it screaming in his ears. Gwaine grabbed out as he begun to off-balance and managed to get a fistful of his opponent’s sleeve. He stumbled a little but found some footing, though a flash of pain from his leg seared through him. All he could do in the moment was grit his teeth through it as he kept enough of a hold on his sword to slash the blade into the back of the soldier’s leg.

His opponent bellowed in pain and fury. Shouts erupted all around them. Gwaine tried to draw his weapon back so that he could hit again, but he wasn’t fast enough. Spitting a curse, the soldier raised his arm and struck Gwaine to the side of his head with the pommel of his sword. Darkness momentarily passed through Gwaine’s vision as he fell to the ground. He landed hard on his shoulder, scraping the side of his face upon the stone floor.

There was a clatter as his sword dropped.

His arm was throbbing with pain. There was a low groan, which he thought was coming from him but it seemed far away somehow. His vision was hazy, but he could see his opponent loom over him. There was candlelight reflected in the raised sword.

Gwaine barely thought about it. He struck out one leg and landed a firm kick at the soldier’s ankles. It was his injured leg and moving it hurt like hell, but his opponent hadn’t expected it. He made a noise of surprise and Gwaine didn’t hesitate. He kicked out again, using both legs this time, landing another hit.

His opponent swayed. Gwaine managed to grab his cape and yanked it to help leverage himself into more of a sitting position. As the man was unexpectedly dragged off-balance, Gwaine struck out his injured leg for a third time. He managing to sweep the man’s feet out from underneath him.

Somehow the soldier didn’t fall on top of Gwaine, though for a dreadful moment he thought that would be exactly what would happen. He rolled to the side, only just managing to avoid the falling man and found himself facing the sword he’d dropped. Gwaine scrambled, grabbing the sword again and somehow managing to pull himself to his feet. He spun around and spotted the looser grip his opponent had upon his weapon.

Gwaine swung his sword down to strike a blow to the man’s arm, making him let go of his weapon entirely. He kicked the sword away and stepped onto the man’s arm for good measure. His blade settled against the soldier’s throat.

“It’s done!” Gwaine gulped through his own heavy breathing. It was all starting to hit him, the hot pain in his leg, the throbbing ache in his shoulder and the scrapes on his face. He was starting to shake, but kept the sword firm in his grip. He looked up, glaring at Morgana through the hair that had fallen into his face. “Good enough for you?”

The room buzzed with noise. There were jeers at Gwaine and mocking taunts to his fallen opponent. Gwaine was aware of it all, but didn’t catch any of the words. His heart was pounding and his body ached. Though there was a lot of chatter around them, lots of shuffling about and pointing, Morgana sat unmoving. The man stood to her left had his arms crossed across his chest. He was smiling but there was something nasty about it which Gwaine couldn’t quite pin down.

Lancelot was also unmoving, still knelt at Morgana’s side, and Gwaine felt his heart sink. There was still nothing.

“You’re not going to finish the job?” Morgana asked, glancing down briefly at Gwaine’s defeated opponent. “I have no use for those who will fall so easily to Arthur’s toy soldiers.”

“You put one life on the line.” Gwaine tried to gulp down the desperation he felt, but there was a waiver to his voice. “I won, as you asked, and if I see you touch him again I’ll run this sword through you myself!”

The man to Morgana’s left hissed a curse as he started to draw his sword from it’s sheath. But before he could finish Morgana held out one hand to gesture for him to stop.

“Helios! It’s alright, I think I can take down one of Camelot’s little gutter rats without your assistance.”

Helios’ face twisted into a sneer at Gwaine, but he obeyed. “As you wish.”

She turned and reached to twirl a finger through Lancelot’s hair again. “You see how hard he’ll fight for you?” She asked him, her voice mocking kindness. “Do you even remember who he is?”

There was a moment as Lancelot looked Gwaine up and down.

“No,” he said. A small frown crossed his face as he turned to Morgana. “Should I?”

“I’ve told you everything you need to know,” Morgana trailed her fingers down the side of Lancelot’s face. “If you don’t recognise that man it’s because he’s nothing to you.”

Lancelot’s expression settled. “Yes my Lady.”

“No, Lancelot!” Gwaine couldn’t stand it. Forgetting about the fallen man at his feet, he started forward. “She’s lying to you, Lancelot, I-”

He barely got three paces, painful limped paces, before Morgana lazily flicked her wrist and her eyes shimmered with fire. Something unseen but heavy hit Gwaine right in the middle of his chest, knocking the air from his lungs as he was thrown backwards like a leaf in the wind.

Gwaine couldn’t help but cry out as he landed on the ground and struck the back of his head heavily against the cold stone. Bright sparks jolted across his vision and he tasted blood. He gasped for air as he coughed and couldn’t breathe.

Before he knew it, they were on him. The nearest of Morgana’s soldiers descended to grab at Gwaine’s arms and his shirt to haul him to his feet. Somehow he had kept hold of his sword, but it was easily taken from him before his arms were twisted up behind his back. One of them even yanked at his hair as Gwaine was manhandled into a barely-balanced standing position.

“Take him back to the dungeons,” Morgana ordered. “Send down the supplies in the morning. No sense in wasting resources if they won’t even live the night.”

Gwaine called Lancelot’s name as he was dragged from the room. He tried to fight and resist, but could barely struggle against the three men who pulled him away. They forced him along, almost unbalancing him with every other pace, twisting his arms so hard he was sure they were trying to snap the bones. There was a hand gripping the back of his head to tug hard at his hair, and one of them even jabbed at the wound on Gwaine’s leg.

Though he thrashed and shouted, Gwaine kept looking at Lancelot for as long as he could. He watched for something. <i>Anything.</i> Anything that might show, even for half a second, that his Lancelot was still there. Just the briefest glimpse of recognition.

But though Lancelot never broke their eye contact he seemed entirely uninterested in the commotion Gwaine caused. His eyes were dark and empty. Not even the candlelight seemed to be reflected in them.

Through the taunts being growled in his ears by the soldiers who forced him out of the room, and the mocking from those who watched, Gwaine still heard what Morgana told Helios as she gestured at the soldier he had defeated. The man was starting to pick himself up off the floor.

“You can deal with him.”

Helios withdrew his sword and advanced on the man. The soldier raised an arm over his face, then Gwaine saw nothing more as he was taken through the throne room doors into the darkened hallway.

But he heard the pleading cries and how quickly they suddenly stopped.

---

Food as well as some water and fresh bandages were sent down to the dungeons the next morning, just as Morgana had said. Elyan woke up a little before that, and sat solemn and quiet as Gaius changed the dirty torn cloth bandages for cleaner ones. The only thing to tend to the wounds with was a small bowl of water, but there was nothing which could be done about that.

Gwaine still sat where he had fallen hours ago after being shoved back into the cell. He’d slumped against the wall and spent the rest of the night drifting in and out of a fitful sleep where he kept dreaming of Lancelot just out of his reach.

After Gaius finished treating Elyan’s injuries, he shuffled over to Gwaine to bind the slash wound on his leg, having managed to save just enough bandage to do so.

“What happened to you?” Elyan’s voice croaked as he broke the gloomy silence. “Did she…” a quiver to his words. “Did she also-”

“No,” Gwaine said. “She had me fight one of her men. Wanted a bit of a show, so who am I to refuse?”

Percival made a noise in the cell across from them. It was something that was both amusement and exasperation.

“Did you see him?” Elyan asked, a troubled look settling in his eyes. “Lancelot. I’m sure it was him. He was with her! But he… I don’t know. It wasn’t right. When she…”

Elyan stopped to take a gasp of air.

“You should take it easy,” Gaius said quietly, settling a hand on Elyan’s shoulder.

“No, I’m… I’m okay, it’s-” Elyan inhaled deeply through his nose before he went on. “But when she… when she used the Nathair on me, Agravaine and that other guy she was with, they both left the room. Lancelot remained but…” he shook his head. “It’s like he wasn’t even there. He didn’t react at all. I called to him, I tried to… he wouldn’t answer me.”

“She’s controlling him,” Gwaine said. It hurt, finally having to speak what he knew. While it had only been in his head a part of him that could still refuse to believe that Lancelot was being twisted and used. Though what the alternative was he didn’t know. But, no, the others had to be told. “Everything Lancelot has done since he came back is because Morgana made him. It’s some sort of enchantment, got to be. You saw his eyes, they’re far too cold.”

“The Isle of the Blessed,” came Percival’s voice. Gwaine turned so that he could face him. Percival stood at the door to his cell, his fists clasping the bars. Leon sat on the cot against the wall, staring at the floor and looking deeply disturbed. “You think… I mean, we never found his body. You think Morgana was there? Could she have taken him for all this time?”

“No,” Gaius said. They all looked to him, he was sat perched on the cot of their cell next to Elyan. He sighed deeply and then explained; “I’m sorry, but Lancelot did die that day. He sacrificed himself to close the Veil, just as you know.”

“Then how is he here now?” Elyan asked, leaning forwards though it seemed to pain him to do so.

“He’s a Shade,” Gaius told them. “A deceased soul resurrected by necromancy. It’s a very dark and very very powerful magic. Once they’re brought back to the land of the living, they’re moulded to the will of their master and completely under their control.”

So Lancelot had died that day. Gwaine slid down the wall a little more, feeling his head start to pound as he tried to take it all in. There had been that smallest spark of hope that perhaps Lancelot coming back meant they hadn’t really lost him. Somehow missing something and abandoning Lancelot to survive on his own for months was a dreadful thing, but surely Lancelot being lost was better than him being completely gone.

But no.

It had been true. Lancelot had died. Only to be stolen back and used as a puppet. Gwaine had known that Morgana was powerful and her intentions were dark but…

“Then what… oh-” Elyan’s voice started to shake again as he broke the cold silence that had settled around them. “Oh, Gwen. So she… he did something. He must have done something to her! To make her- oh what have I done?”

“I… I can’t be sure,” Gaius said. His hands awkwardly fiddled with his robe. “Merlin wasn’t able to- I don’t know what Lancelot’s actions were. Just that he’s under the control of a powerful magic.”

“No, no he did,” Gwaine straightened as he remembered the previous night. “She told me. Morgana told me that Lancelot ruined Gwen and Arthur’s engagement because she ordered him to. She sent him back here all for that. Morgana must have had him do something to Gwen.”

Elyan buried his face in his hands with a loud painful moan. “I should have known. I should have known something wasn’t right, why didn’t I realise?”

Gwaine bit back against the feeling of cold dread that swelled up inside him. He had known. He had known that <i>something</i> was wrong with Lancelot from how he barely even cast a glance at Gwaine. Lancelot had spoken to them and smiled but only, Gwaine realised, when he’d absolutely had to. Otherwise he had kept silent and to himself, wanting nothing to do with any of them. And Gwaine had tried to put an excuse in his mind as to why that might be; that perhaps something happened to Lancelot which he didn’t want to talk about. Perhaps Lancelot even felt angry that they’d left The Isle of the Blessed without him. Maybe in the time it took for him to find his way home he didn’t love Gwaine any more, or even particularly like any of them.

There had been something very wrong with Lancelot and Gwaine had known it. But he’d done nothing. And so-

“None of us could have seen what would happen,” Leon said gently, trying hard to keep his voice even but Gwaine could tell he was trying to convince himself as much as anybody.

“I’m her brother!” Elyan cried. “I should have believed her when she said she didn’t know what happened! I should have fought for her! I should have never allowed this to happen!”

“Elyan,” Gaius reached out, though didn’t quite touch him. “Your wounds.”

“I’m alright,” Elyan gasped, his chest heaving. “No. No, but. But if this is ever over, if Arthur manages to take Camelot back, I’m bringing Gwen home. She should have never been sent away, I don’t care what Arthur has to say about it!”

Elyan’s words hung heavily in the air and nobody doubted him at all. Gwaine clenched his fist into the hem of his shirt and stared at a spot on the far wall.

“And Lancelot?” he asked. “Is there a way- could we get him back?”

Gaius shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, but I just don’t know.”

#fic: a dead man’s unrest #Gwaincelot #gwaine x lancelot #bbc merlin fanfic #well see you in another three months folks #i mean hopefully not but my current trend isn't too great #big plans for shit to kick off in future though #until then oh my god i hate writing fight scenes welp #anyway enjoy the gwaine angst #it's his turn currently apparently

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j-minte08 · 3 years ago

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Why do I award BalanWonderworld as a masterpiece?

Introduction

⚠��I'm using a translator, so I apologize if any parts are difficult to read.

In this article, I will write about why I award Balan Wonderworld as a masterpiece, with answers to criticisms.

When I played the demo version, I thought this game was SO BAD. But I believed Yuji Naka and bought the full version. (Before I knew it, I had bought four of them...) I'm not raving blindly about it.

At first, I was hopelessly disappointed because nothing had changed from the demo version. However, in chapters 2 and 3, I was impressed by the three-dimensionality and beauty of the stages, and in chapter 4, I realized the comfort of gaining freedom through the acquisition of costumes.

By the time I was completely finished, I was convinced that this game was a great piece of work.

This is an article that I wrote after spending nearly 100 hours on this game.

I hope you will read it.

Main part

First of all, this game is not a game with flashy action as its primary objective. (Flashy battle action is possible in some scenes.)

【Puzzle】　【RPG】　【Exploration】

It is structured around these three main components.

The game also features a "Balance AI" that senses the player's movements and makes changes to the difficulty and world. There is also a presentation of my own work, so please take a look!

Please read with the above in mind.

■ One button action is stressful.

▶︎ As mentioned earlier, this game is not intended for flashy action. At its root, it is an RPG and does not require multiple buttons. The reason it's a simple operation is because it doesn't need to be.

There is only one button, but instead the player is given the freedom to select up to three actions of their choice. The way to play Balan is to find your own strategy within these constraints.

Some people point out that you can't jump, but only a few outfits limit jumping. Most of them are attack-oriented outfits. It's up to you to decide whether you want more attack power or more movement power.

If you're still not convinced, this game just isn't to your liking.(If that's you, I recommend the Wii version of Rodea.)

NiGHTS and Sonic are also action games with simple controls, but the concept is different from Baran, as explained below.

From the very beginning, NiGHTS and Sonic are one-button games that allow for exhilarating action. The action feels good and allows for improvement through trial and error.

However, Balan begins in a state of helplessness. One of his goals is to use his wits and eventually gain the power to run freely around the three-dimensional stage.

Freedom from discomfort. This catharsis is the best part of Balan.

It is also linked to the story's theme of opening closed minds.

■ The structure of the puzzle is sketchy.

▶︎ There is an intention behind this. By making the puzzle structure more flexible, the player is given more choices.

Therefore, each player will have a completely different solution to obtaining a single statue.

Also, each time you play the game, you will find new strategies, making it a game that can be played repeatedly.

This is the reason why Yuji Naka was so confident about this game.

Personally, I think that this action with a puzzle concept has a similar point of view to card games and rock-paper-scissors.

The Mega Man series is a typical example of a game that requires you to observe the situation and your opponent's movements to find the right technique and move. In fact, there is a famous episode where it was derived from rock-paper-scissors. This is also a game where you can enjoy improving through trial and error, but I think the structure of the rules is similar to that of Balan.

■ It's a pain to stock up on costumes.

▶︎ There is no need to overstock costumes. The minimum number of costumes needed to clear the course will naturally be available. Dependence on certain costumes can make the game monotonous. Also, the BalanceAI can sense your movements and take countermeasures.

As the difficulty level increases, you will have a hard time because the costumes will not come back.

The game is made more interesting by the style of play that allows you to use all the costumes to their fullest extent and bring out the true value of each one.

If you run out, explore the stage while collecting costumes. It may lead to new discoveries.

Even if you don't have a specific costume, there are many situations you can get through by applying other costumes.

This degree of freedom is what makes Balan so interesting. The strategy is left to your imagination.

■ The stage is curved. Isn't this a useless design?

▶︎ The curvature of the map allows you to see every corner of the stage. You may be confused because there is no other game that tries to do something like this. However, this is an ideal map for exploration games.

The basics of this gimmick are used as of chapter 1. Chapter 7, which has particularly large differences in elevation, makes good use of this gimmick.

■ The difficulty level is too low.

▶︎ Basics → Application → Review (Boss battle)

This game is designed to follow the above flow thoroughly. As a result, the difficulty level in the early stages is kept low, but the endgame is quite difficult. I almost lost my mind in chapter 12.

The bosses are easy to defeat. However, it is difficult to conquer all three strategy patterns.

Also, if you keep defeating enemies quickly without taking damage, the difficulty level will increase.Stronger and faster enemies will appear in large numbers.I found the difficulty level increased at chapter 3.

In other words, the difficulty of the game depends on how good you are.

■ I want to have a HP separate from my costume.

▶︎ This system prompts the player to use a different costume in case of failure.

Depending on the situation, you can either sacrifice valuable costumes, or use inconvenient but well-stocked costumes... The game throws a variety of choices at the player. This gameplay becomes more apparent as the difficulty level increases.

If you separate the HP from the costume, this tense gameplay will be lost.

The system of choosing outfits based on what will happen next fosters the ability to think and survive on one's own. It will also help the child's ego independence.

■ I need more explanations and hints. It's designed in an unfriendly way.

▶︎ It's not a game that requires you to do anything difficult, so if you think about it, you should be able to understand it to some extent. All you have to do is immerse yourself in collecting statues by any route you can think of.

Some people criticize Balan for being old-fashioned, but they are missing the point.

Games are essentially content that teaches you to think and act for yourself. This is a posting of what games should be, and a refreshing return to the basics.

However, I don't mean to criticize modern games. The immersive feeling of being in a movie, and the friendly design of the UI that shows you where you are going so you don't get lost. I think it's a beautiful evolution for today's hectic world where it's hard to find time to be alone.

However, to be honest, it is abnormal to say that only works that follow the latest trends are evaluated, and it is difficult to say that there is creativity in such works. Evolving technology and the presence or absence of originality have completely different meanings.

I would like to say that games like Balan, which have their own rules and think for themselves, are what we need today.

■ I don't understand the story. I want subtitles.

▶︎ With both video and dubbing, the amount of information is extremely high. By not using real words, all the people in the world have the exact same experience. Very romantic, don't you think?

It's not to dismiss the unspoken parts as non-existent, but to let your imagination run wild and have fun with it.

Since ancient times, there has been an aesthetic in Asia that finds meaning in blank spaces.

If you want a more substantial story, I recommend the novel version, which probably has what you want. It is available for Kindle.

At the end

Balan Wonderworld is a game designed to grow with the player the more time they spend playing.

Despite its gorgeous visuals, the reality of the story is deep and Yuji Naka's philosophy shines through, making it a masterpiece that can be called a compilation of his work.

At first, you may find some scenes difficult or the system annoying. However, they all have a meaning and will make sense as you continue to play.

Balan is built on a very complete system.

EVERY MOMENT IS AN ADVENTURE... This tagline is true.

But the fact is that Balan is a very peaky game. But that's also true for Sonic and NiGHTS.

If you have enjoyed Yuji Naka's past works, you will surely understand the quality of Balan. I recommend that you take the time to face this game first without any preconceived notions.

Now that I've spoken highly of Balan, I'd like to offer some criticism of the official advertising.

I think the main reason for this failure was the poor choice of stages included in the demo version, which made it difficult to convey the fun of expanding the degree of freedom by acquiring costumes, the sense of freedom, and the fun of being able to create a number of unique strategies.

As for the official SNS, rather than introducing the costumes and the storyline by themselves, the official should have done a better job of showing how they are all connected to make this game interesting.

That's how it looked from my personal point of view, but I believe that the current situation is the result of continuous failures in the area of advertising.

I'm so disappointed that this masterpiece is being buried, and I hope that the officials will have the guts to turn its reputation upside down even now.

Hopefully, this game will get the recognition it deserves. I love Balan Wonderworld.

#balan wonderworld #game #square enix #game review #yuji naka #naoto oshima #バランワンダーワールド #playstation #bww #nights #nights into dreams #sonic #sonic the hedgehog

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digitalmark18-blog · 6 years ago

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15 Telltale Signs Your SEO Strategy Isn't Working

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/15-telltale-signs-your-seo-strategy-isnt-working/

15 Telltale Signs Your SEO Strategy Isn't Working

Warning: your current SEO strategy may be failing.

That’s true even if you’re handling SEO yourself or your outsourcing it to an agency.

Sometimes, business owners think that as long as they have an SEO strategy, then everything is fine. Customers will visit the site, the company will earn more money, and income will grow over time.

That’s not always the case, though.

Here are 15 telltale signs that your SEO strategy isn’t working.

1. Your Organic Traffic Has Been Steadily Decreasing

The fruits of a great SEO strategy can be summed up in one word: growth.

Your organic traffic should grow over time. That includes new sessions and returning sessions.

Pop into Google Analytics and check your web traffic stats for the past 12 months or so. The line graph that you see should show a definite upward trend.

If it doesn’t, your SEO strategy isn’t working. It’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Start by taking a look at what caused the drop in traffic. You’ll probably find that competitors have moved in and taken some of your spots at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).

That means their SEO strategy is better than yours. Grab a tool like SEMRush and spy on your competitors.

Find out which keywords they’re using. Take a look at their landing pages and compare them to your own.

Then, update your SEO strategy accordingly.

2. Your Organic Traffic Drops Dramatically Overnight

If you login to Google Analytics one day and notice a significant drop in traffic over the past 24 hours, that’s another sign that your SEO strategy isn’t working.

Usually, a quick drop in traffic means you took an SEO shortcut to manipulate the search results. Google discovered what you were doing and updated its algorithm to prevent your site from ranking well.

A quick drop in traffic means your SEO strategy isn’t working

That, by the way, is why you should avoid “quick wins” in SEO. Don’t buy backlinks or do business with unscrupulous SEO agencies that promise you a top rank for a fee. Google will eventually catch up with you.

Instead, play by the rules and you’ll more likely survive algorithm updates.

It’s possible, though, that a quick drop in traffic has nothing to do with a bad SEO strategy. Give your site a thorough audit just to be sure.

3. Your Keyword Rankings Are Steadily Dropping

Hopefully, you’re using tools like SEMRush and Google Search Console to check your keyword rankings. If you find that they’re dropping over time, you’ve got a problem on your hands.

For starters, keep in mind that it’s perfectly normal for rank to fluctuate slightly from day to day. That’s not a problem.

What is a problem is if you see a definite downward trend over time. That could mean a couple of things.

Most likely, your competitors are producing content superior to yours that’s optimized for the same keywords. Take a look at their content and find out why that’s the case.

Alternatively, their content might be better optimized for the keyword. Check your content to make sure the keyword is in the title and opening paragraph. Also, make sure it’s sprinkled throughout the content naturally.

Whatever the case, find out what they’re doing and take it to the next level in your own SEO strategy. That’s how you’ll outrank them.

4. If You’re Not Ranking for the Best Keywords, You’re SEO Strategy Isn’t Working

It’s probably the case that there are some keywords in your niche that are absolute winners. If you’re not ranking for those keywords, then it’s time to step up your SEO game.

Keep in mind: you need to rank towards the very top for those keywords. That’s how you’ll attract the most traffic and convince people that you’re an authority in your space.

If you rank at #1, you can expect to get almost 30% of the search traffic from desktop users and almost 25% of the search traffic from mobile users. The second position drops all the way down to about 15%.

The numbers get progressively worse from there as you go lower in rank.

Put in place an SEO strategy that sends your site to the very top for your most important keywords.

5. You Have a Lackluster Conversion Rate

Maybe your current strategy is bringing visitors to your site but once they get there, they’re not taking the action that you want them to take.

That could still point to an SEO problem.

Why? It might mean that you’re not bringing in the right kind of traffic. In other words, you’re not attracting visitors who are likely to become customers.

Maybe that’s because your keywords don’t carry intent. For example, if you’re selling table saws, your site might be optimized for “table saw.” However, that word doesn’t have a purchase intent.

In that case, consider optimizing for keywords like “discount table saws” or “table saws on sale.” Those keywords will bring in visitors who want to buy table saws.

Go through your keyword tracking tools and look at the most popular keywords that are attracting people to your site. Ask yourself: are these the keywords my potential customers are using in online searches?

If not, update your strategy.

6. Your SEO Strategy Isn’t Working if You’re Using Thin Content

Think you can optimize a 300-word article for a hot keyword and it will quickly rank on Page 1 of the SERPs? Think again.

You’re not going to get far with that kind of content.

Remember, Google is all about user experience. That means it will rank the most helpful articles towards the top of the search results.

Those articles are usually long.

If you’re using a unique or branded keyword and nobody else has content optimized for it, you might be able to get away with shorter content. But that’s the exception rather than the rule.

Instead, you should opt for 10x content. As the name implies, that’s content that’s 10 times better than anything else out there.

If your competitors are using long-form content, produce longer form content. Embed some relevant videos from YouTube. Add some images. Include graphs.

Go for higher quality content and Google will reward you with better rank.

7. You Have a High Bounce Rate

Head over to Google Analytics and check your page metrics. If you find that your bounce rate is unusually high, you’re probably using a subpar SEO strategy.

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If you’re unfamiliar with the bounce rate, it’s the metric that shows the percentage of visitors who leave your site after looking at only one page. You want that number to be as low as possible.

That’s especially true of landing pages that are designed to make your website “sticky.” Those are the pages that bring people in so they can browse around for a bit and learn more about your products or services.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce your bounce rate.

youtube

8. If You Have a Low Dwell Time, Your SEO Strategy Isn’t Working

This one is related to the previous point. Once again, you can find the dwell time in Google Analytics.

If it shows people splitting from your site after only a few seconds, you’re not connecting with the right crowd.

Make sure that your titles and your snippets in the search results properly advertise the content on your page. Otherwise, people will quickly bounce away.

9. You Have Too Many Low-Quality Backlinks

An important part of an SEO effort is developing a healthy backlink profile. That means getting links from quality sites.

If you’re getting links from sites with a very low domain authority (DA), you can be sure that your SEO strategy isn’t bearing much fruit.

Even worse, you might have bought links from private blog networks (PBNs). If that’s the case, you’ll probably get caught by the Big G and penalized.

Also, check the hosts where your backlinks are located. If you find a lot of them are coming from porn and foreign sites, you’ve got a backlink profile that’s going to raise suspicion. Again, you’re in danger of getting penalized.

Fix the problem by disavowing the spammy links and guest-posting on high-quality sites.

10. Your SEO Strategy Isn’t Working if You’re Focusing on Search Results Rather Than People

“What can I do to get this article to rank #1?”

It’s understandable and completely forgivable that you’d ask that question.

But it’s an indication that your priorities are in the wrong place.

You shouldn’t produce content for search engines. You should produce content for people.

Then, when you’ve created content that people love, Google will reward you with a high rank.

As we’ve seen, Google is all about user experience. If you’ve got some content that its users will want to see, you can be pretty sure that it will rank well.

11. You’re Using the Same SEO Strategy From 4 Years Ago

The only constant is change. You can be sure that’s the case with SEO.

If you’re using a strategy that worked spectacularly during the first years of the Obama administration, that doesn’t mean it’s going to work now. SEO has evolved quite a bit since then.

That’s why you need to keep up with the latest best practices. Bookmark sites like Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch so that you stay informed.

Then, as you learn about algorithm updates and read tips from other SEO professionals, update your own strategy accordingly.

12. You’re Expecting Quick Results

When you get into SEO, you need to be in it for the long haul. It’s not a “quick fix” initiative.

If you’re expecting instantaneous results from some winning SEO strategy you picked up from Neil Patel yesterday, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

Here’s the news you don’t want to hear: it can take six months to a year before your SEO pays off.

If you get results quicker than that, smile and consider it a bonus.

But don’t get discouraged if you don’t.

13. Your SEO Strategy Won’t Work if You Have No Editorial Calendar

What’s the title of the article that you’ll be producing this week?

If you can’t answer that, you likely don’t have an editorial calendar. That means your SEO strategy is lacking.

Make it a point in the near future to do some exhaustive keyword research. Gather dozens, or maybe even hundreds, of keywords relevant to your brand.

Then, create an article title around each keyword. Put each title on your editorial calendar.

That should keep you busy with content marketing for months.

14. Your SEO Strategy Won’t Work if You’ve Gone Cheap on SEO

You might have interviewed a number of different SEO agencies and picked the one that was the cheapest. That makes sense from a cash flow perspective.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t make sense from an SEO perspective.

Here’s another hard truth: great SEO costs a lot of money. Instead of picking the least expensive agency, you should probably have picked one of the more expensive ones.

You’ll definitely take a hit in up-front costs. And, as we’ve seen, you won’t see results for months.

But once that strategy starts working its magic, you’ll see a return. After awhile, you’ll likely see a positive ROI.

A healthy SEO budget is the cost of doing business these days.

15. You Have No Goals

One sign that your SEO strategy isn’t working is if you can’t tell that it’s working. That is, you have no goals.

If that’s the case, start coming up with goals today. You have several different options with SEO:

Increased traffic

Increased sales

Improve brand-name awareness

Establish your company as an authority

Think about why you want a strong presence in the search results. Then, you’ll be in a better position to determine if your SEO strategy is working.

Wrapping It Up

After reading this, have you noticed several signs that your SEO strategy isn’t working? If so, determine what kinds of changes you need to make. Then, put in place an action plan to up your SEO game.

Finally, reevaluate your new strategy in about six months. You might need to make some additional changes.

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Source: https://www.business2community.com/seo/15-telltale-signs-your-seo-strategy-isnt-working-02113319

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